All-out action, humor and my favorite episodes in the series thus far! The third volume of “Blue Exorcist” reveals Rin’s true identity to the True Cross Order and most of all, to his friends/classmates. Will Rin be used as a weapon to fight Satan or will he be executed because he is the son of Satan?   “Blue Exorcist” Vol. 3 is highly recommended!
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Image courtesy of © 2009 by Kazue Kato/SHUEISHA, Blue Exorcist Committee, MBS. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Blue Exorcist Vol. 3
DURATION: Episodes 14-19 (150 minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, 16:9 LB, Dolby Digital
COMPANY: Aniplex Inc.
RATED: Suggested 13 and Up
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2011
Based on the manga by Kazue Kato
Directed by Tensai Okamura
Series Composition by Ryota Yamaguchi
Music by Hiroyuki Sawano
Character Design by Keigo Sasaki
Art Director: Masatoshi Kai
Chief Animation Director: Keigo Sasaki
Anime Production: A-1 Pictures
Featuring the following voice talent:
Jun Fukuyama as Yukio Okumura
Kana Hanazawa as Shiemi Moriyama
Kazuya Nakai as Ryūji Suguro
Nobuhiko Okamoto as Rin Okumura
Ayahi Takagaki as Kuro
Eri Kitamura as Izumo Kamiki
Hiroshi Kamiya as Mephisto Pheles
Keiji Fujiwara as ShirÅ Fujimoto
Koji Yusa as RenzÅ Shima
Rina Satou as Shura Kirigakure
Tetsuya Kakihara as Amaimon
Yuuki Kaji as Konekomaru Miw
“Assiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons. Normally, these two dimensions would never intersect, but having possessed all material substances, the demons are now intruding on the material world. But among the human race, there are those who can exorcise such demons.”
– the Exorcists.
During a 3-day drill to prepare Rin and fellow Ex-Wires for actual combat, Amaimon suddenly appears and takes Shiemi as a hostage to lure Rin. Angry, Rin fights Amaimon and he ends up going berserk! He regains control of himself only to be captured by the current Paladin, Angel, and sent to the Vatican for trial. As the hearing drags on, the Order finds itself unable to decide on Rin’s fate, as Mephisto has proclaimed him to be “a weapon for counter-attacking Satan.” Rin is now forced to obey the Vatican’s order or face execution!
It has been kept a secret to the True Cross Academy that Rin Okamura is the son of Satan. But what happens when Rin’s friends and the Academy find out Rin’s true identity. Will the Academy have him killed or will they believe Mephisto in hopes that Rin can be used as a weapon to defeat his evil father?
Find out in volume three of “Blue Exorcist”.
So, What is “Blue Exorcist”?
“Ao no Exorcist†(Blue Exorcist) is an anime adaptation of a manga series written and illustrated by Kazue Kato, a mangaka who won a Tenkaichi Manga Award back in 1999 at the age of 19 and won a Tezuka Award in 2000 for his manga “The Witch and the Rabbitâ€. Kato is also known for his 2006 manga series “Robot Usakichi†(Space Traveler Robo & Usakichi).
“Blue Exorcist†was serialized on Jump Square Magazine by Shueisha since April 2009 and is still an ongoing manga series (as of January 2012, there have been a total of 30 chapters released).
With the popularity of the manga series, an anime adaptation was produced by A-1 Pictures with Hitoshi Okamura as the producer. The series began back in April 2011 and 25-episodes have aired in Japan. And now the second volume of “Blue Exorcist” will be released on DVD courtesy of Aniplex.
The anime series revolves around a hotheaded teenager named Rin Okumura. Both he and his brother Yukio have been raised by Father Fujimoto at the Cross Academy Town – Southern Cross Boys Monastery. While Yuki shows great intelligence and is attending school at True Cross Academy to become a doctor, Rin is quite the opposite. He tends to get himself in trouble, fights a lot and is continually told by Father Fujimoto to find a job.
Unfortunately for Rin, finding and holding onto a job is difficult. But one day, while working at a supermarket, he sees a monster in a girl’s scarf. He tells Father Fujimoto of what he has seen and Father Fujimoto starts to fear that something is happening. One day, Rin encounters a group of thugs and its leader that he had beaten up earlier and suddenly sees him turn into a demon. The demon tells Rin that satan is waiting for him and immediately, Father Fujimoto is there to save him and exorcise the demon. Fortunately, Father Fujimoto is there to help but it is all revealed to Rin about why he can see monsters.
It’s the fact that he is not truly human. He is the son of a human woman and satan. And the monsters he have seen, it is explained to Rin that in the world, there is Assiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons. Both are not supposed to come in contact with each other but they have and as an exorcist, it is his duty to send the demons back to where they belong. And satan wants to reunite with his son.
To protect Rin, Father Fujimoto gives him the Kamkakushi key, so he can hide anything. And he is also given the Koma Sword, a magic sword passed down from generation to generation and a sword where Rin’s powers have been sealed since birth. Rin’s flame resides inside the sword and is sealed by the scabbard. If he draws it, he will assume his demonic nature and will never be able to live as a human again.
One day, he and Father Fujimoto try to prepare for an imminent attack and tells Rin that he must seek shelter where satan can’t get to him but Rin takes it as his father trying to get rid of him forever. In return, Rin said some hurtful things to Father Fujimoto and the pain that Father Fujimoto felt was enough for satan, the demon to possess him.
Satan shows up to claim his son and attacks Father Fujimoto. Satan reveals that he created Rin from a human woman in order to create a container that would be powerful enough to hold him.
But it’s something that Father Fujimoto will not let happen to the boy, he looked at as a son. In order to save Rin, Father Fujimoto risks his own life to keep satan away and is killed in the process.
Now Rin mourns for the one person he knew as his father and when Mephisto Pheles, a friend of Father Fujimoto comes to visit, he tells him that they represent the Knights of the True Cross and they exorcise demons. And Rin has two choices, they will kill him, or he kills the demons. Instead, Rin tells him that he could care less about being human or a demon, he wants to become an exorcist like Father Fujimoto and avenge him and that means defeating his own father.
So, from that point on, Rin must be trained to become an exorcist and will have to follow special rules (which includes not revealing his true nature). But the first thing that he will need to do is enroll at the same school that his brother Yukio attends. When Rin sees his brother, Yukio is in the top of the class and that he is a special leader that people follow at the school and he is no longer the scrawny younger brother he once knew.
As Rin is now a student at the Knights of the True Cross, many of the elders are not too thrilled because Rin is the son of Satan and because Rin tends to be more of a hothead, they are not too sure if he can fit into the Academy. But Rin is determined to make good on his promise to his deceased father and to protect people, but most of all, to kill satan.
With volume 2 of “Blue Exorcist”, the story continues as Rin continues to study along with his classmates and each are trying to be Esquires, in order to take on various missions. But others at the Academy and the higher ups want to test Rin and find out if he is a person that can be taught and eventually fight with the other exorcists in defeating demons and satan himself.
While people question a demon being an exorcist, for Rin, he makes a goal that one day, he will become a Paladin (highest level of exorcism) like his adoptive father, Father Shiro and prove that because he is satan’s son, that having a caring father like Shiro can make a big change in the life of a person, even if they are a demon.
And now in volume 3 of “Blue Exorcist”, with the Demon King of Earth, Amaimon making his attack against Rin and friends during training, there is no way Rin can hide his secret. He will need to draw the Kurikara sword and turn into demon form in order to fight and defend his friends. But by using this sword, Rin can lose control in a very bad way!
“Blue Exorcist” features the following characters:
- Rin Okamura – The main protagonist. The son of Satan but born from a human mother. He and his brother Yukio are twins but he inherited his father’s powers. Rin’s power was sealed inside a sword by Mephisto Pheles, so he can live a human life. Rin was raised by the priest Shiro Fujimoto as normal humans with compassion and love. Despite getting into a lot of trouble and his abilities tend to be more of fighting or cooking, since discovering his power and identity, he vows to use his power to avenge his adoptive father Shiro Fujimoto’s death and defeat Satan. He vows to attend True Cross Academy and do all it takes to become a Paladin and a “Meister” (Knight). Rin also has taken in a dog demon (Cat Sith) which he names Kuro.
- Yukio Okamura – The son of Satan but born from a human mother. Unlike Rin he did not inherit Satan’s powers. Known as the intellectual person of the family, unbeknown to Rin was that he has been secretly trained to become an exorcist since the age of seven in order to protect his brother. So, now he is an instructor at True Cross Academy and responsible for looking after his brother. But he harbors a secret…dark spots are starting to appear on his body which Yukio has told no one about, despite being tested daily if Satan’s power is in him.
- Mephisto Pheles – The Chairman of True Cross Academy. He and Shiro Fujimoto worked together in order to seal Rin’s power and make him human. Mephisto is a powerful exorcist but because he is a demon, many do not believe him while others believe he has proven he is on the side to fight against Satan.
- Ryuji Suguro – Also known as “Bon” to his classmates. He has a high temper and is often fighting and arguing with Rin. But despite his attitude, he is the best student in the class and dedicated to his studies. Part of his drive is because Satan destroyed his family temple.
- Shiemi Moriyama – The daughter of a woman who runs an exorcist-only shop. She lacks confidence and she is quite sheltered (having lived with her grandmother and her only friends were plants) but when given the chance to meet and make friends at True Cross Academy, being in school gives her a new lease on life.  It appears that both Rin and Yukio may have feelings towards her. Shiemi is a tamer and can summon a greenman spirit to produce herbs and barriers.
- Izumo Kamiki – She always has a cold attitude and known for her eyebrows. The only friend she is close to is her best friend Paku but slowly (very slowly), she is starting to befriend her classmates. She can summon two Baykko (foxes) to fight.
- Konkomaru Miwa – Very smart but very shy. He is the strategist and is loyal to his best friend Ryuji and Renzo, since they grew up at the same temple that was destroyed. His parents were killed by Satan.
- Renzo Shima – Carefee, loves to flirt with girls (especially Paku and Izumi) but has a major phobia of insects. He also grew up with Ryuji and Konekomaru. Renzo carries a K’rik staff to fight.
- Shura Kirigakure – The carefree, hardly wears anything, loves alcohol, upper first class exorcist who was asked by priest Shiro Fujimoto to train Rin and help him become a “Meister”. She can draw a demon sword from her chest and stomach and is an excellent fighter.
- Shiro Fujimoto – The priest of Southern Cross Monastery who raised both Yukio and Rin as a loving father. He is a Paladin in the True Cross Order and was the strongest exorcist. Was thought to be the only man who could not be possessed by Satan but after an argument with Rin (and Rin saying some hurtful things) which shocked Shiro, it was enough time for Satan to possess Shiro. In order to protect himself from hurting Rin and Yukio, Shiro sacrificed himself.
“Blue Exorcist Vol. 3” features episodes 14-19 on one DVD. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:
- EPISODE 14 – A Fun Camping Trip – The Esquires are taken to the forest where they are to undergo through training by Yukio and Shura.
- EPISODE 15 – Act of Kindness – The students are attacked by Amaimon. In order to protect the other students, Shura gives Rin the sword which transforms him into a demon to fight Amaimon.
- EPISODE 16 – The Wager – Rin is captured by Arthur Auguste Angel, a Paladin who wants Rin dead and Mephisto to be charged for keeping this secret from the Academy of Rin and Yukio’s true identity. The Academy must decide whether to have Rin executed or to be used as a weapon to fight Satan.
- EPISODE 17 – Temptation – While the True Cross Academy is making their decision, Amaimon enters the True Cross Order HQ to continue his fight. Meanwhile, Mephisto wants to show that Rin will fight for the True Cross.
- EPISODE 18 – Gufu – With Konekomaru shocked about Rin’s identity and that Rin’s father Satan was responsible for his parent’s death, he doesn’t know if he could be friends with him. Meanwhile, a bird demon is trying to enter the school. Meanwhile, Rin must go through special training to become an exorcist immediately.
- EPISODE 19 – An Ordinary Day – Shiemi and friends decide to have a surprise birthday party for Izumo. Meanwhile, Izumo becomes suspicious of her classmates.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Blue Exorcist” is presented in 16:9 lb and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subtitles. The anime production is well-done. The surrounding environments are well-detailed, painted nicely, while the character designs are vibrant, clear and I wouldn’t be surprised if this series is given the Blu-ray treatment in the near future because it looks very good on DVD.
If anything, character designer Keigo Sasaki (“Night Raid 1931”, “Sengoku Basara”) does a great job of bringing the characters from Kazue Kato’s manga series to life, while art director Masatoshi Kai (“Akira”, “Dead Girls”, “Earthian”, “Red Garden”) did a wonderful job in bringing the series to life with the scenery and painted backgrounds.
I’m pretty impressed of how this anime looks visually.
As for audio, audio is clear coming from the front channels. I personally had my receiver set to stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundtrack. But dialogue is understandable and English subtitles are easy to read.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Blue Exorcist, Vol. 3” features the following special features:
- URA-EX (Bonus Short Movies) – Featuring three short omake anime stories (about 1:20 per omake) that are shown after an episode is completed.
- Preview Web Version – Featuring the “next episode” previews voiced by various demon characters (about 17 seconds each).
- Textless OP#2 – Blue Exorcist opening theme without text.
- Textless ED#2 – Blue Exorcist ending theme without text.
EXTRAS:
“Blue Exorcist” Vol. 3 comes with a slipcover case, 2-sided reversible cover, exclusive 2-sided poster and an O-sleeve with key visual art.
Action-packed but also what you want to see from this second half of “Blue Exorcist”, all characters working as a team.
Now things become much more intriguing in “Blue Exorcist” as everyone now knows Rin’s true identity, meanwhile his brother Yukio is hiding the fact that the demon blood within him may be turning him into a demon.
Similar to the popularity of shows such as “Naruto” and “Bleach”, teamwork and the integration of other characters are part of the success of those series and in “Blue Exorcist” vol. 3, these episodes emphasize how Rin can not do it alone. He will need to trust his friends.
And while these episodes are focused on Rin and his identity being revealed, the episodes also focus a lot on his friends trying to do what they can to help Rin, despite not trusting him (since he is the son of Satan). But through Rin’s actions, he’ll need to prove that he is the same person, the same caring, goof-off that they knew before but his intention has not changed, he will defeat Satan.
There are plenty of action featured in these episodes as Amaimon is on the aggressive and is constantly attacking. But then you have your fun, lighthearted episode as the group tries to hae a surprise birthday party for Kamiki. So, you get a good dose of action and humor like in previous episodes, but this time, the stakes are higher as Rin must go through aggressive training to become an exorcist in a short amount of time.
As for the overall series, the character designs are actually pretty cool, especially the costume designs for the characters. Also, the art backgrounds for this series is nicely detailed and range from pastels to really vibrant colors. Something you typically don’t see in a TV Series.
“Blue Exorcist†has a good balance of humor, action and an interesting concept in balance with awesome animation and beautiful art backgrounds. While the action may be it a bit too visual for younger anime viewers (as this is suggested for 13 and up), for fans of action-based series such as “Naruto” and “Bleach” will find “Blue Exorcist” to their liking.
As there is one more volume left of “Blue Exorcist”, I am looking forward to seeing how this season is concluded. Kazue Kato really did a fantastic job in building the characters up slowly to this point and now, Rin must be trained to become the weapon the True Cross Order needs to defeat Satan but most importantly, for Rin to avenge his adoptive father, Shiro Fujimoto’s death.
Overall, an excellent volume 3 of “Blue Exorcist” and can’t wait for volume 4!
Definitely recommended!
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